Memory device and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

A memory device includes a memory cell, a writing transistor, and a reading transistor. The memory cell includes a semiconductor substrate, a tunneling layer, a storage layer, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode. The tunneling layer is over the semiconductor substrate. The storage layer is on the tunneling layer. The first electrode is on the storage layer. The second electrode is on the tunneling layer. The storage layer has a sidewall facing the second electrode. The third electrode is spaced apart from the second electrode. The writing transistor is electrically connected to the first electrode of the memory cell. The reading transistor is electrically connected to the second electrode of the memory cell.

BACKGROUND

Memory devices are used to store information in semiconductor devicesand systems. The popular dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cellincludes a switch and a capacitor. DRAMs are highly integrated and fastmemory devices, but they do not retain data when power is cut off.

On the other hand, a nonvolatile memory device is capable of retainingdata even after power is cut off. Examples of nonvolatile memory devicesinclude the flash memory, magnetic random access memories (MRAMs),resistive random access memories (RRAMs) and phase-change random accessmemories (PCRAMs). MRAMs store data using variations in themagnetization direction at tunnel junctions. PCRAMs store data usingresistance variations caused by phase changes of specific materials.RRAMs store data by changes in electric resistance, not by changes incharge capacity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a flowchart of a method for making a memory deviceaccording to aspects of the present disclosure in various embodiments.

FIGS. 2A to 2G respectively illustrate cross-sectional views of thememory device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the memory cell in FIG. 2E.

FIGS. 4A-4F are enlarged view of area in FIG. 2E according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing illustrating an exemplary memory circuitaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a flowchart of a method for making a memory deviceaccording to aspects of the present disclosure in various embodiments.

FIGS. 7A to 7H respectively illustrate cross-sectional views of thememory device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a flowchart of a method for making a memory deviceaccording to aspects of the present disclosure in various embodiments.

FIGS. 9A to 9I respectively illustrate cross-sectional views of thememory device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a flowchart of a method for making a memory deviceaccording to aspects of the present disclosure in various embodiments.

FIGS. 11A to 11M respectively illustrate cross-sectional views of thememory device at various stages in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is an equivalent circuit model of the memory cell 100M or 300Maccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

As used herein, “around”, “about”, “approximately”, or “substantially”shall generally mean within 20 percent, or within 10 percent, or within5 percent of a given value or range. Numerical quantities given hereinare approximate, meaning that the term “around”, “about”,“approximately”, or “substantially” can be inferred if not expresslystated.

This disclosure relates to integrated memory fabrications and morespecifically to two-transistor-one-memory-cell formations by forming thememory cell with a patterned storage layer. The memory cell storesdifferent (more than two) distinct states when different voltages areapplied. Such structure and its method provide a new type memory deviceand do not add area burden to the device.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a flowchart of a method M10A for making a memorydevice according to aspects of the present disclosure in variousembodiments. Various operations of the method M10A are discussed inassociation with cross-section diagrams FIGS. 2A-2G. Throughout thevarious views and illustrative embodiments, like reference numbers areused to designate like elements. In operation S12 of method M10A, asemiconductor substrate 110 is provided, as shown in FIG. 2A. Thesemiconductor substrate 110 has a transistor region 112 and a memoryregion 114. In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate 110 may bea semiconductor material and thus may be referred to as a semiconductorlayer. The semiconductor substrate 110 may include a graded layer or aburied oxide, for example. In some embodiments, the semiconductorsubstrate 110 includes bulk silicon that may be undoped or doped (e.g.,p-type, n-type, or a combination thereof). Other materials that aresuitable for semiconductor device formation may be used. Othermaterials, such as germanium or GaAs could alternatively be used for thesemiconductor substrate 110. Alternatively, the silicon substrate 110may be a multi-layered structure such as a silicon-germanium layerformed on a bulk silicon layer.

In operation S14 of method M10A, a plurality of isolation structures 120are formed on the semiconductor substrate 110, as shown in FIG. 2A. Theisolation structures 120 may be formed by chemical vapor deposition(CVD) techniques using tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) and oxygen as aprecursor. In some other embodiments, the isolation structures 120 maybe formed by implanting ions, such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, or thelike, into the semiconductor substrate 110. In yet some otherembodiments, the isolation structures 120 are insulator layers of a SOIwafer. The isolation structures 120, which act as shallow trenchisolations (STIs), are formed between the transistor region 112 and thememory region 114.

In operation S16 of method M10A, source/drain regions 116 w and 116 rare formed in the transistor region 112 of the semiconductor substrate110, as shown in FIG. 2B. A mask layer (may be a hard mask layer) may beformed over the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 110, and aplurality of openings are formed in the mask layer. An implantationprocess is then performed to introduce impurities into the semiconductorsubstrate 110 to form source/drain regions 116 w and 116 r, and thepatterned mask layer may act as a mask to substantially prevent theimpurities from being implanted into other regions of the semiconductorsubstrate 110. The impurities may be n-type impurities or p-typeimpurities. The n-type impurities may be phosphorus, arsenic, or thelike, and the p-type impurities may be boron, BF₃, or the like. Then,the photoresist and the patterned mask layer are removed.

In operation S18 of method M10A, first interfacial layers 130 and asecond interfacial layer 135 are respectively formed over the transistorregion 112 and the memory region 114 of the semiconductor substrate 110,as shown in FIG. 2C. Specifically, a blanket dielectric layer may beformed over the semiconductor substrate 110, and a patterning process isperformed on the blanket dielectric layer to form the first interfaciallayers 130 and the second interfacial layer 135. The first interfaciallayers 130 and the second interfacial layer 135 may include materialssuch as tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)-formed oxide, un-doped silicateglass, or doped silicon oxide such as borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG),fused silica glass (FSG), phosphosilicate glass (PSG), boron dopedsilicon glass (BSG), and/or other suitable dielectric materials. In someother embodiments, the first interfacial layers 130 and the secondinterfacial layer 135 may be a high-κdielectric layer having adielectric constant (κ) higher than the dielectric constant of SiO₂,i.e. κ>3.9. The first interfacial layers 130 and the second interfaciallayer 135 may include LaO, AlO, ZrO, TiO, Ta₂O₅, Y₂O₃, SrTiO₃ (STO),BaTiO₃ (BTO), BaZrO, HfZrO, HfLaO, HfSiO, LaSiO, AlSiO, HfTaO, HfTiO,(Ba,Sr)TiO₃ (BST), Al₂O₃, Si₃N₄, oxynitrides (SiON), or other suitablematerials. The blanket dielectric layer may be deposited by a CVDprocess, ALD process, or other suitable deposition technique.

In FIG. 2C, the first interfacial layers 130 are formed over thesemiconductor substrate 110 and respectively between the source/drainregions 116 w and 116 r. The first interfacial layers 130 are configuredto be gate interfacial layers. In some embodiments, the secondinterfacial layer 135 is spaced apart from the isolation structure 120and is configured to be a tunneling layer of the following formed memorycell 100M (see FIG. 2E). In some embodiments, each of the firstinterfacial layers 130 and the second interfacial layer 135 has a heightH1 in a range of about 1.5 nm to about 5 nm. For the second interfaciallayer 135, if the height H1 is greater than about 5 nm, carriers may nottunnel through the second interfacial layer 135; if the height H1 isless than about 1.5 nm, the carriers may directly pass through thesecond interfacial layer 135 without tunneling.

In operation S20 of method M10A, gate dielectric layers 140 and astorage layer 145 are respectively formed on or over the firstinterfacial layers 130 and the second interfacial layer 135, as shown inFIG. 2D. Specifically, another blanket dielectric layer may be formedover the semiconductor substrate 110, and a patterning process isperformed on the blanket dielectric layer to form the gate dielectriclayers 140 and the storage layer 145. The gate dielectric layers 140 andthe storage layer 145 may be a high-κ dielectric layer having adielectric constant (κ) higher than the dielectric constant of SiO₂,i.e. κ>3.9. In some embodiments, the dielectric constant of the storagelayer 145 is greater than or equal to the dielectric constant of thesecond interfacial layer 135. The gate dielectric layers 140 and thestorage layer 145 may include LaO, AlO, ZrO, TiO, Ta₂O₅, Y₂O₃, SrTiO₃(STO), BaTiO₃ (BTO), BaZrO, HfZrO, HfLaO, HfSiO, LaSiO, AlSiO, HfTaO,HfTiO, (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ (BST), Al₂O₃, Si₃N₄, oxynitrides (SiON), or othersuitable materials. The blanket dielectric layer is deposited bysuitable techniques, such as ALD, CVD, PVD, thermal oxidation,combinations thereof, or other suitable techniques, and the blanketdielectric layer is patterned by an etching process, such as a dryetching, a wet etching, or combinations thereof.

In FIG. 2D, the gate dielectric layers 140 are respectively on and incontact with the first interfacial layers 130. The gate dielectric layer140 and the first interfacial layer 130 may be substantially coterminousor non-coterminous. The storage layer 145 is on and in contact with thesecond interfacial layer 135. The etching process of the storage layer145 induces additional traps at the sidewall 146 thereof mainly due tothe broken bonds at the sidewall 146 of the storage layer 145. Theadditional traps (broken bonds) are capable to store more electrons, andthese additional electrons provide additional states for the memorycell. The structural details of the storage layer 145 will be describedin FIGS. 2E and 3-4F. In some embodiments, each of the gate dielectriclayers 140 and the storage layer 145 has a height H2 in a range of about15 nm to about 40 nm. For the storage layer 145, if the height H2 isgreater than about 40 nm, the retention of the memory device may bereduced; if the height H2 is less than about 15 nm, the amounts ofcarriers (electrons) stored on the sidewalls of the storage layer 145may not enough to provide multiple states.

In operation S22 of method M10A, gate electrodes 150 a and first andsecond electrodes 155 a, 155 b are formed over the semiconductorsubstrate 110, as shown in FIG. 2E. Specifically, a blanket conductivelayer may be formed over the semiconductor substrate 110, and apatterning process is performed on the blanket conductive layer to formthe gate electrodes 150 a and the first and second electrodes 155 a, 155b. The gate electrodes 150 a and the first and second electrodes 155 a,155 b are made of conductive materials such as polysilicon or metale.g., W, Ti, TiAlC, Al, TiAl, TaN, TaAlC, TiN, TiC, Co, TaC, Al, TiAl,HfTi, TiSi, TaSi, TiAlC, combinations thereof, or the like. The blanketconductive layer may be formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD),physical vapor deposition (PVD) including sputtering, atomic layerdeposition (ALD) or other suitable method, and the blanket conductivelayer is patterned by an etching process, such as a dry etching, a wetetching, or combinations thereof.

In operation S24 of method M10A, a third electrode 160 is formed on abottom surface 110 b of the semiconductor substrate 110, as shown inFIG. 2E. Specifically, another blanket conductive layer may be formed onthe bottom surface 110 b of the semiconductor substrate 110, and apatterning process is performed on the blanket conductive layer to formthe third electrode 160. The substrate 110 is between the secondinterfacial layer 135 and the third electrode 160. The third electrode160 may be made of conductive materials such as metal e.g., W, Ti,TiA1C, Al, TiAl, TaN, TaAlC, TiN, TiC, Co, TaC, Al, TiAl, HfTi, TiSi,TaSi, TiAlC, combinations thereof, or the like. The blanket conductivelayer may be formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapordeposition (PVD) including sputtering, atomic layer deposition (ALD) orother suitable method, and the blanket conductive layer is patterned byan etching process, such as a dry etching, a wet etching, orcombinations thereof.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the memory cell 100M in FIG. 2E. Reference ismade to FIGS. 2E and 3. The memory cell 100M of the memory deviceincludes a first electrode 155 a, a second electrode 155 b, a thirdelectrode 160, a storage layer 145, and a tunneling layer (i.e., thesecond interfacial layer) 135. The first electrode 155 a and the storagelayer 145 are formed over the tunneling layer 135. In some embodiments,the first electrode 155 a and the storage layer 145 are ring-shaped,such that an accommodating area 147 is defined by the storage layer 145.The second electrode 155 b is in the accommodating area 147, i.e., thestorage layer 145 surrounds the second electrode 155 b. Further, thesecond electrode 155 b is in contact with the tunneling layer 135. Thesecond electrode 155 b is at a level lower than the first electrode 155a, such that a bottom surface 155 ab of the first electrode 155 a ishigher than a bottom surface 155 bb of the second electrode 155 b, and atop surface 155 aa of the first electrode 155 a is higher than a topsurface 155 ba of the second electrode 155 b. The storage layer 145 isspaced apart from the second electrode 155 b, and a space S is formedbetween the storage layer 145 and the second electrode 155 b. The spaceS is in a range of about 4 nm to about 30 um. If the space S is lessthan about 4 nm, carriers stored on the sidewall 146 of the storagelayer 145 may too close to the second electrode 155 b, and a shortproblem may occur between the storage layer 145 and the second electrode155 b; if the space S is greater than about 30 um, the second electrode155 b may not read the first electrode 155 a. The third electrode 160 ison the bottom surface 110 b of the semiconductor substrate 110, i.e.,the third electrode 160 and the first electrode 155 a (second electrode155 b) are on opposite sides of the semiconductor substrate 110.

FIGS. 4A-4F are enlarged view of area A in FIG. 2E according to variousembodiments. In FIGS. 4A and 4B, the storage layer 145 may be made ofamorphous high-k material and patterned by wet etching, such thatsidewalls 146 of the storage layer 145 are inclined. In other words, thesidewall 146 of the storage layer 145 and a bottom surface 145 b form anacute angle θ1. The sidewalls 146 of the storage layer 145 are inclined,such that the surface area thereof is increased and more broken bondsare formed thereon. The more broken bonds are benefit for storing morecarriers on the sidewalls 146. In FIG. 4A, the storage layer 145 exposesa portion of the bottom surface 155 ab of the first electrode 155 a. InFIG. 4B, the first electrode 155 a is in contact with a portion of thesidewalls 146 of the storage layer 145.

In FIGS. 4C and 4D, the storage layer 145 may be made of amorphoushigh-k material and patterned by dry etching, such that sidewalls 146 ofthe storage layer 145 are substantially straight and/or vertical. Inother words, the sidewall 146 of the storage layer 145 and a bottomsurface 145 b form a substantially right angle θ2. In FIG. 4C, thestorage layer 145 and the first electrode 155 a are substantiallycoterminous. In FIG. 4D, the storage layer 145 exposes a portion of thebottom surface 155 ab of the first electrode 155 a.

In FIGS. 4E and 4F, the storage layer 145 may be made of polycrystallinehigh-k material and patterned by wet etching, such that sidewalls 146 ofthe storage layer 145 have facets, which is determined by thecrystalline orientation of the storage layer 145. Thus, the sidewalls146 are rough in FIGS. 4E and 4F, and the surface area thereof isincreased, and more broken bonds to trap electrons are formed thereon.In FIG. 4E, the storage layer 145 and the first electrode 155 a havesubstantially the same width. In FIG. 4F, the storage layer 145 exposesa portion of the bottom surface 155 ab of the first electrode 155 a.

Reference is made to FIG. 2E, the memory device further includes twotransistors (i.e., a writing transistor 100W and a reading transistor100R). The transistor 100W includes the source/drain regions 116 w, thegate electrode 150 a, the gate dielectric layer 140, and the firstinterfacial layer 130. The transistor 100R includes the source/drainregions 116 r, the gate electrode 150 a, the gate dielectric layer 140,and the first interfacial layer 130.

In operation S26 of method M10A, a plurality of contacts 175 a-175 h areformed over the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memory cell 100M, asshown in FIG. 2F. For example, a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) 170is formed over the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memory cell 100M. Insome embodiments, the first ILD 170 may be formed by depositing adielectric material over the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memory cell100M and then a planarization process is performed to the dielectricmaterial. In some embodiments, the deposition process may be chemicalvapor deposition (CVD), high-density plasma CVD, spin-on, sputtering, orother suitable methods. In some embodiments, the first ILD 170 includessilicon oxide. In some other embodiments, the first ILD 170 may includesilicon oxy-nitride, silicon nitride, or a low-k material.

Then, a plurality of the openings are formed in the first ILD 170, andconductive materials are filled in the openings. The excess portions ofthe conductive materials are removed to form the contacts 175 a-175 h.The contacts 175 a-175 h may be made of tungsten, aluminum, copper, orother suitable materials. The contact 175 a is in contact with one ofthe source/drain regions 116 w, the contact 175 b is in contact withanother of the source/drain regions 116 w, the contact 175 c is incontact with the gate electrode 150 of the transistor 100W, the contact175 d is in contact with one of the source/drain regions 116 r, thecontact 175 e is in contact with another of the source/drain regions 116r, the contact 175 f is in contact with the gate electrode 150 of thetransistor 100R, the contact 175 g is in contact with the firstelectrode 155 a of the memory cell 100M, and the contact 175 h is incontact with the second electrode 155 b of the memory cell 100M.

In operation S28 of method M10A, an inter-metal dielectric (IMD) layer180 is formed to interconnect the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memorycell 100M, as shown in FIG. 2G. The IMD layer 180 may provide electricalinterconnection between the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memory cell100M as well as structural support for the various features ofstructures formed thereon during many fabrication process operations. Insome embodiments, the IMD layer 180 may be silicon oxide, low-k siliconoxide such as a porous silicon oxide layer, other suitable interlayerdielectric (ILD) material, other suitable inter-metal dielectricmaterial, combinations thereof, or the like. In some embodiments, theIMD layer 180 is a low-k dielectric layer made from extra low-kmaterials, extreme low-k materials, combinations thereof, or the like.In some embodiments, the IMD layer 180 may have a dielectric constantlower than 2.4. In some embodiments, the IMD layer 180 is made usingdiethoxymethylsilane (mDEOS) or the like as a precursor gas in achemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. However, other low-k dielectricmaterials may be used as well. The IMD layer 180 also includesconductive elements for interconnecting the transistors 100W, 100R, andthe memory cell 100M.

For example, the IMD layer 180 include a write word line WWL (see FIG.5) coupled to the contact 175 c, such that the write word line WWL iselectrically connected to the gate electrode 150 a of the transistor100W. The IMD layer 180 further include a write bit line WBL (see FIG.5) coupled to the contact 175 a, such that the write bit line WBL iselectrically connected to one of the source/drain regions 116 w of thetransistor 100W. The IMD layer 180 further include a conductive line L1(see FIG. 5) coupled to the contacts 175 b and 175 g, such that theconductive line L1 is electrically connected to another of thesource/drain regions 116 w of the transistor 100W and the firstelectrode 155 a of the memory cell 100M. The IMD layer 180 furtherinclude a read word line RWL (see FIG. 5) coupled to the contact 175 f,such that the read word line RWL is electrically connected to the gateelectrode 150 a of the transistor 100R. The IMD layer 180 furtherinclude a read bit line RBL (see FIG. 5) coupled to the contact 175 d,such that the read bit line RBL is electrically connected to one of thesource/drain regions 116 r of the transistor 100R. The IMD layer 180further include a conductive line L2 (see FIG. 5) coupled to thecontacts 175 e and 175 h, such that the conductive line L2 iselectrically connected to another of the source/drain regions 116 r ofthe transistor 100R and the second electrode 155 b of the memory cell100M.

In FIG. 2G, the memory device includes a memory cell 100M, a writingtransistor 100W, and a reading transistor 100R. The writing transistor100W is electrically connected to the first electrode 155 a of thememory cell 100M, and the reading transistor 100R is electricallyconnected to the second electrode 155 b of the memory cell 100M. Thestorage layer 100M has a sidewall 146 facing the second electrode 155 b.Since the sidewall 146 is formed by an etching process, broken bonds maybe formed on the sidewall 146 to trap electrons. The trapped electronsmay form a capacitor with the second electrode 155 b, and thecapacitance thereof is determined by the amount of the trappedelectrons. With different distinct capacitances, the second electrode155 b may sense different distinct currents when different voltages areapplied to the first electrode 155 a. Thus, a multi-states (more thantwo states) memory cell 100M is provided.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing illustrating an exemplary memory circuitaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5, thememory circuit includes a memory cell 100M, transistors 100W and 100R, awrite word line WWL, a write bit line WBL, a read word line RWL, a readbit line RBL, and a ground GND. The gate terminal G of the transistor100W is coupled to the write word line WWL, the source terminal S of thetransistor 100W is coupled to the write bit line WBL, and the drainterminal D of the transistor 100W is coupled to the first electrode 155a of the memory cell 100M. The gate terminal G of the transistor 100R iscoupled to the read word line RWL, the source terminal S of thetransistor 100R is coupled to the read bit line RBL, and the drainterminal D of the transistor 100R is coupled to the second electrode 155b of the memory cell 100M. The third electrode 160 (see FIG. 2G) of thememory cell 100M is coupled to the ground GND.

The memory cell 100M has three different operations: writing whenupdating the contents, erasing when erasing the updated contents, andreading when the data has been requested. The memory cell 100M performsthe three different operations (write, erase, read) as follows:

Writing—The start of a write cycle of the memory cell 100M begins byapplying the value to be written to the write word line WWL and thewrite bit line WBL. If a state is desired to be stored, a negativevoltage −V1 is applied to the write bit line WBL and a positive voltageV2 is applied to the write word line WWL, i.e. setting the write bitline WBL to the negative voltage −V1 and the write word line WWL to thepositive voltage V2. The transistor 100W is thus turned on (by the writeword line WWL), and the carriers (electrons) passes through thetransistor 100W to the first electrode 155 a of the memory cell 100M.Portions of the electrons are stored in the storage layer 145, andanother portions of the electrons are stored (trapped) on the sidewalls146 (see FIG. 2G) of the storage layer 145. As such, the sidewalls 146may have an ability to store more carriers when the sidewall surfacearea is large. When the negative voltage −V1 is more negative, theamount of the electrons on the sidewalls 146 is exponentially increased,and this exponentially difference can be considered as different states.As such, with different applied (negative) voltages and/or differentdurations of the voltages of the write bit line WBL, the storage layer145 is at different states. In some embodiments, the memory cell 100M invarious embodiments of the present disclosure can provide more than twostates, e.g., four or more states. For example, the memory cell 100M maystore different distinct states when the applied voltages (−V1) areabout −0.5V, about −1.5V, about −2.5V and about −3.5V for about 5seconds. In the writing operation, a voltage V0 equals to 0 is appliedto the read word line RWL, such that the transistor 100R is turned off,and the second electrode 155 b is floating.

Erasing—The start of an erase cycle of the memory cell 100M begins byapplying the value to be erased to the write word line WWL and the writebit line WBL. If the memory cell 100M is desired to be erased, apositive voltage V3 is applied to the write bit line WBL and a positivevoltage V2 is applied to the write word line WWL, i.e. setting the writebit line WBL to the positive voltage V3 and the write word line WWL tothe positive voltage V2. The transistor 100W is thus turned on (by thewrite word line WWL), and the carriers (holes) passes through thetransistor 100W to the first electrode 155 a of the memory cell 100M.The carriers (holes) thus erase the electrons initially stored in thestorage layer 145 and on its sidewalls 146. In some embodiments, thevoltage V3 may be about 3V for about 10 seconds. In the erasingoperation, a voltage V0 equals to 0 is applied to the read word lineRWL, such that the transistor 100R is turned off, and the secondelectrode 155 b is floating.

Reading—The start of a read cycle of the memory cell 100M begins byapplying the value to be read to the read word line RWL and the read bitline RBL. If the memory cell 100M is desired to be read, a positivevoltage V4 is applied to the read bit line RBL and a positive voltage V5is applied to the read word line RWL, i.e. setting the read bit line RBLto the positive voltage V4 and the read word line RWL to the positivevoltage V5. In some embodiments, the positive voltage V4 is greater thana tunnel diode saturation voltage of the storage layer 145. For example,the voltage V4 may be about 1V. The transistor 100R is thus turned on(by the read word line RWL), and the carriers (holes) passes through thetransistor 100R to the second electrode 155 b of the memory cell 100M.Since the positive voltage V4 makes the storage layer 145 be in asaturation state, the carriers in the storage layer 145 senses thetrapped electrons on the sidewall 146 of the storage layer 145 and alsostarts to tunnel through the tunneling layer 135 to the third electrode.Stated in another way, once the second electrode 155 b enters thesaturation region, current can be modulated by the minority carriers atthe interface between the tunneling layer 135 and the semiconductorsubstrate 110. The intensity of the tunneling current reflects the stateof the storage layer 145, i.e., less amounts of induced inversionelectrons on the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 110 lead tominor current while more amounts lead to greater current. In the readingoperation, a voltage V0 equals to 0 is applied to the write word lineWWL, such that the transistor 100W is turned off, and the firstelectrode 155 a is floating. In some embodiments, since the electricfield in a high-k material (e.g., the storage layer 145 in this case) isweaker than which in a low-k dielectric layer, the carriers stored inthe storage layer 145 is less disturbed while the first electrode 155 ais floating. This can be seen from the improved retention performance.

In some embodiments, the memory devices mentioned above had been testedfor 1000 cycles and still worked normally. The difference of the chargeamount stored in the storage layer 145 can be sensed for more than 3000seconds. The sidewall 146 of the storage layer 145 (facing the secondelectrode 155 b) increases the states of the memory cell 100M. It isbelieved that the memory devices according to various embodiments canmeet the requirement of non-volatile memory with good fabricationtechniques.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a flowchart of a method M10B for making a memorydevice according to aspects of the present disclosure in variousembodiments. Various operations of the method M10B are discussed inassociation with cross-section diagrams FIGS. 7A-7H. Throughout thevarious views and illustrative embodiments, like reference numbers areused to designate like elements. The present embodiment may repeatreference numerals and/or letters used in FIGS. 2A-2G. This repetitionis for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itselfdictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/orconfigurations discussed. In the following embodiments, the structuraland material details described before are not repeated hereinafter, andonly further information is supplied to perform the semiconductordevices of FIGS. 7A-7H.

In operation S12 of method M10B, a semiconductor substrate 110 isprovided, as shown in FIG. 7A. In operation S14 of method M10B, aplurality of isolation structures 120 are formed on the semiconductorsubstrate 110, as shown in FIG. 7A. In operation S16 of method M10B,source/drain regions 116 w and 116 r are formed in the transistor region112 of the semiconductor substrate 110, as shown in FIG. 7B. Inoperation S17 of method M10B, an implantation region 118 is formed inthe memory region 114 of the semiconductor substrate 110, as shown inFIG. 7C. In some embodiments, the implantation region 118 is served asthe third electrode 160 shown in FIG. 2E. Specifically, another masklayer (may be a hard mask layer) may be formed over the top surface ofthe semiconductor substrate 110, and an opening is formed in the masklayer. An implantation process is then performed to introduce impuritiesinto the memory region 114 of the semiconductor substrate 110 to formthe implantation region 118, and the patterned mask layer may act as amask to substantially prevent the impurities from being implanted intoother regions of the semiconductor substrate 110. The implantationprocess may be a low energy implantation through the semiconductorsubstrate 110 to a desirable depth D below the substrate surface (e.g.,about 1 um to about 10 um below the substrate surface). The impuritiesmay be p-type impurities or n-type impurities. The p-type impurities maybe boron, BF₂, or the like, and the n-type impurities may be phosphorus,arsenic, or the like. Then, the photoresist and the patterned mask layerare removed. In some embodiments, the source/drain regions 116 w and 116r may have n-type impurities, and the implantation region 118 may havep-type impurities, or vise versa.

In operation S18 of method M10B, first interfacial layers 130 and asecond interfacial layer 135 are respectively formed over the transistorregion 112 and the memory region 114 of the semiconductor substrate 110,as shown in FIG. 7D. In FIG. 7D, the second interfacial layer 135 isspaced apart from the implantation region 118. In operation S20 ofmethod M10B, gate dielectric layers 140 and a storage layer 145 arerespectively formed on or over the first interfacial layers 130 and thesecond interfacial layer 135, as shown in FIG. 7E. In operation S22 ofmethod M10B, gate electrodes 150 a and first and second electrodes 155a, 155 b are formed over the semiconductor substrate 110, as shown inFIG. 7F. In operation S26 of method M10B, a plurality of contacts 175a-175 i are formed over the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memory cell100M, as shown in FIG. 7G. In FIG. 7G, the contact 175 i is in contactwith the implantation region 118. In operation S28 of method M10A, anIMD layer 180 is formed to interconnect the transistors 100W, 100R, andthe memory cell 100M, as shown in FIG. 7H.

The difference between the memory cells 100M in FIGS. 7H and 2G pertainsto the third electrode. In FIG. 7H, the third electrode is animplantation region 118 formed in the semiconductor substrate 110. Thetunneling current from the second electrode 155 b passes through thesemiconductor substrate 110 to the implantation region 118, and thecurrent flows to the contact 175 i and a ground trace in the IMD layer180. In some embodiments, if the depth D is less than about 1 um, thedepletion region in the semiconductor substrate 110 and between thesecond electrode 155 b and the implantation region 118 will stopextending; if the depth D is greater than about 10 um, the readingvoltage may be increased.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a flowchart of a method M10C for making a memorydevice according to aspects of the present disclosure in variousembodiments. Various operations of the method M10C are discussed inassociation with cross-section diagrams FIGS. 9A-9I. Throughout thevarious views and illustrative embodiments, like reference numbers areused to designate like elements. The present embodiment may repeatreference numerals and/or letters used in FIGS. 2A-2G. This repetitionis for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itselfdictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/orconfigurations discussed. In the following embodiments, the structuraland material details described before are not repeated hereinafter, andonly further information is supplied to perform the semiconductordevices of FIGS. 9A-9I.

In operation S12 of method M10C, a semiconductor substrate 110 isprovided, as shown in FIG. 9A. In operation S14 of method M10C, aplurality of isolation structures 120 are formed on the semiconductorsubstrate 110, as shown in FIG. 9A. In operation S16 of method M10C,source/drain regions 116 w and 116 r are formed in the transistor region112 of the semiconductor substrate 110, as shown in FIG. 9B. Inoperation S18 of method M10C, first interfacial layers 130 and a secondinterfacial layer 135 are respectively formed over the transistor region112 and the memory region 114 of the semiconductor substrate 110, asshown in FIG. 9C. In operation S32 of method M10C, a blanket dielectriclayer 140′ and a blanket conductive layer 150′ are subsequently formedover the first interfacial layers 130 and the second interfacial layer135, as shown in FIG. 9D. In some embodiments, the blanket dielectriclayer 140′ have the same material as the dielectric layers 140 and thestorage layer 145 mentioned above, and the blanket conductive layer 150′have the same material as the gate electrodes 150 a and first and secondelectrodes 155 a, 155 b mentioned above.

In operation S34 of method M10C, gate electrodes 150 a and a firstelectrode 155 a are formed over the semiconductor substrate 110, asshown in FIG. 9E. In some embodiments, a patterned photoresist 190 isformed over the blanket conductive layer 150′, and the blanketconductive layer 150′ is patterned using the patterned photoresist 190as a mask to form the gate electrodes 150 a and the first electrode 155a on the blanket dielectric layer 140′.

In operation S36 of method M10C, gate dielectric layers 140 and astorage layer 145 are formed over the semiconductor substrate 110, asshown in FIG. 9F. In some embodiments, the blanket dielectric layer 140′is patterned using the patterned photoresist 190, the gate electrodes150 a, and the first electrode 155 a as masks to form the gatedielectric layers 140 and the storage layer 145.

In operation S38 of method M10C, a second electrode 155 b is formed overthe second interfacial layer 135, as shown in FIG. 9G. For example,another mask is formed over the structure of FIG. 9F, and an opening isformed to expose the accommodating area 147 defined by the storage layer145. Then, the second electrode 155 b is formed in the opening and onthe second interfacial layer 135, and the mask is removed after theformation of the second electrode 155 b.

In operation S24 of method M10C, a third electrode 160 is formed on abottom surface 110 b of the semiconductor substrate 110, as shown inFIG. 9G. In operation S26 of method M10C, a plurality of contacts 175a-175 h are formed over the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memory cell100M, as shown in FIG. 9H. In operation S28 of method M10C, an IMD layer180 is formed to interconnect the transistors 100W, 100R, and the memorycell 100M, as shown in FIG. 91.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a flowchart of a method M50 for making a memorydevice according to aspects of the present disclosure in variousembodiments. Various operations of the method M50 are discussed inassociation with cross-section diagrams FIGS. 11A-11M. Throughout thevarious views and illustrative embodiments, like reference numbers areused to designate like elements. In operation S52 of method M50, amultilayer substrate 310 is formed over a base substrate 305, as shownin FIG. 11A. The multilayer substrate 310 includes various substratelayers 312 and 314. The substrate layer 312 may be a high-dopant region(e.g., having a concentration of n-type or p-type dopants of about1×10²⁰ cm⁻³ to about 1×10²² cm⁻³ or even greater) of the base substrate305. Alternatively, the substrate layer 312 may be formed over the basesubstrate 305 using an epitaxy process, such as metal-organic (MO)chemical vapor deposition (CVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), liquidphase epitaxy (LPE), vapor phase epitaxy (VPE), selective epitaxialgrowth (SEG), combinations thereof, and the like.

The base substrate 305 may be a semiconductor substrate, such as a bulksemiconductor, a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, or thelike, which may be doped (e.g., with a p-type or an n-type dopant) orundoped. In some embodiments, an SOI substrate includes a layer of asemiconductor material formed on an insulator layer. The insulator layermay be, for example, a buried oxide (BOX) layer, a silicon oxide layer,or the like. The insulator layer is provided on a substrate, e.g., asilicon or glass substrate. Other substrates, such as a multi-layered orgradient substrate may also be used. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor material of the base substrate 305 may include silicon(Si); germanium (Ge); a compound semiconductor including siliconcarbide, gallium arsenic, gallium phosphide, indium phosphide, indiumarsenide, and/or indium antimonide; an alloy semiconductor includingSiGe, GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs, GaInAs, GaInP, and/or GaInAsP; orcombinations thereof.

The substrate layer 314 may be formed over the substrate layer 312. Insome embodiments, various epitaxies may be performed to form varioussubstrate layers 312 and 314. Any suitable epitaxy processes may beused, such as by MO CVD, MBE, LPE, VPE, SEG, combinations thereof, orthe like. The substrate layer 314 may be a lightly-doped or undopedlayer (e.g., having a dopant concentration less than about 1×10¹⁸ cm⁻³).Furthermore, the substrate layer 314 may be doped with dopant of adifferent type than the substrate layer 312. The implantation of dopantsin the substrate layers 312 and 314 may be achieved using any suitablemethod.

In operation S54 of method M50, a plurality of isolation structures 320are formed in the multilayer substrates 310 a and 310 b, as shown inFIG. 11B. In some embodiments, the isolation structures 320 may beformed by patterning openings in the multilayer substrate 310 andfilling the openings with a dielectric material. For example, a hardmask and/or photoresist (not illustrated) may be disposed over themultilayer substrate 310. The hard mask may include one or more oxide(e.g., silicon oxide) and/or nitride (e.g., silicon nitride) layers toprevent damage to the underlying multilayer substrate 310 duringpatterning, and the hard mask may be formed using any suitabledeposition process, such as, atomic layer deposition (ALD), CVD, highdensity plasma CVD (HDP-CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), and thelike. In some embodiments, the isolation structures 320 and 120 (seeFIG. 2A) may have the same or similar material.

In operation S56 of method M50, a plurality of nanowires (nano-rods,nano-columns, or nanorings) 330 w, 330 r, and 330 m are formed in themultilayer substrate 310, as shown in FIG. 11C. The nanowires 330 w and300 r are formed over the transistor region 307 of the base substrate305, and the nanowire 330 m is formed over the memory region 309 of thebase substrate 305. More specifically, the multilayer substrate 310 andthe isolation structures 320 are further patterned to form the nanowires330 w, 300 r, and 330 m. The patterning of the nanowires 330 w, 300 r,and 330 m may be done using a combination of photolithography andetching as described above, for example. Each of the nanowires 330 w and300 r includes a bottom highly-doped semiconductor portion (i.e., abottom source/drain portion) 332 a and a middle lightly-doped or undopedsemiconductor portion (i.e., a channel portion) 334 a, and the nanowire330 m includes a bottom highly-doped semiconductor portion 332 b and amiddle lightly-doped or undoped semiconductor portion 334 b. Theportions 332 a (332 b) and 334 a (334 b) correspond to the substratelayers 312 and 314 respectively. In the (VGAA) transistor 300W and 300R(see e.g., FIG. 11M), the portion 332 a is a bottom source/drain portionand the portion 334 a is a channel portion. In the memory cell 300M (seee.g., FIG. 11M), the portion 332 b is a third electrode and the portion334 b is the semiconductor substrate of the memory cell 300M.

In operation S58 of method M50, a first spacer 340 is formed around thenanowires 330 w, 300 r, and 330 m, as shown in FIG. 11D. The firstspacer 340 may also be formed over the isolation structure 320. A topsurface of the first spacer 340 may be substantially level with orhigher than a top surface of source/drain portion 332 a in the nanowires330 w and 330 r and the portion 332 b in the nanowire 330 m. In someembodiments, the first spacer 340 may include a dielectric material,such as silicon nitride, for example, formed using any suitable process,such as, CVD, PVD, ALD, and the like. The deposition of the first spacer340 may be a conformal process, and an etch back process may beperformed to remove excess portions of the first spacer 340 fromsidewalls of the portions 334 a, 334 b, and top surfaces of thenanowires 330 w, 330 r, and 330 m. In the (VGAA) transistors 300W and300R (see e.g., FIG. 11M), the first spacer 340 may be used to prevent agate electrode (i.e., the gate electrodes 370 a) from contacting thebottom source/drain portion 332 a.

In operation S60 of method M50, an interfacial film 350′ is formedaround the nanowires 330 w, 330 r, and 330 m over the base substrate305, as shown in FIG. 11E. In some embodiments, the interfacial film350′ may have the same or similar materials to the second interfaciallayer 135 shown in FIG. 2C, for example, formed using any suitableprocess, such as, CVD, PVD, ALD, and the like. The deposition of theinterfacial film 350′ may be a conformal process.

In operation S62 of method M50, a dielectric film 360′ and a conductivefilm 370′ are subsequently formed over the base substrate 305, as shownin FIG. 11F. The dielectric film 360′ and the conductive film 370′ areformed over the interfacial film 350′, such that the dielectric film360′ and the conductive film 370′ cover the nanowires 330 w, 330 r, and330 m. In some embodiments, the dielectric film 360′ may have the sameor similar materials to the storage layer 145 in FIG. 2D. In someembodiments, the conductive film 370′ may have the same or similarmaterials to the first electrode 150 a in FIG. 2G.

In operation S64 of method M50, a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) 380is formed over the conductive film 370′, as shown in FIG. 11G. The firstILD 380 may include a low-k dielectric having a k-value less than about3.9, such as about 2.8 or even less. In some embodiments, the first ILD380 includes a flowable oxide formed using, for example, flowablechemical vapor deposition (FCVD). In some embodiments, the first ILD 380may also include a protection layer (not separately illustrated) beneaththe flowable oxide, the materials of such protection layer include SiN,SiON, and the like. In some embodiments, the first ILD 380 may be usedas a planarization layer to provide a level top surface for subsequentprocessing. Thus, a CMP (or other suitable planarization process) may beperformed to level the top surfaces of the first ILD 380 and theportions 334 a and 334 b.

In operation S66 of method M50, top source/drain portions 336 and a toptunneling layer 338 are respectively formed over the nanowires 330 w,330 r, and 330 m, as shown in FIG. 11H. In some embodiments, anepitaxial layer may be formed over the structure in FIG. 11G, and theepitaxial layer is patterned to form the top source/drain portions 336respectively over the nanowires 330 w and 330 r. Then, a dielectriclayer is at least formed over the memory region 309, and the dielectriclayer is patterned to form a top tunneling layer 338 over the nanowire330 m. In some embodiments, the top source/drain portions 336 may behighly-doped (e.g., having a dopant concentration of about 1×10²⁰ cm⁻³to about 1×10²² cm⁻³ or even greater). The top tunneling layer 338 mayhave the same or similar materials to the second interfacial layer 135shown in FIG. 2C.

In operation S68 of method M50, a second spacer 390 is formed around thetop source/drain portion 336 and the top tunneling layer 338, as shownin FIG. 11I. In some embodiments, the second spacer 390 may include asimilar material as the first spacer 340 (e.g., silicon nitride). Thesecond spacer 390 may be formed as a blanket layer. The second spacer390 may cover top surfaces of the top source/drain portion 336 and thetop tunneling layer 338.

In operation S70 of method M50, a second electrode 410 is formed overthe top tunneling layer 338, as shown in FIG. 11J. For example, anopening is formed in the second spacer 390 to expose the top tunnelinglayer 338, and conductive material is filled in the opening. In someembodiments, the conductive material may be etched back to form thesecond electrode 410, and another spacer 395 is filled in the remainingopening to cover the second electrode 410. In some embodiments, thesecond electrodes 410 and 155 b (see FIG. 2G) have the same or similarmaterials.

In operation S72 of method M50, the dielectric film 360′ and theconductive film 370′ are patterned to form a memory cell 300M, a writingtransistor 300W, and a reading transistor 300R, as shown in FIG. 11K. Insome embodiments, another mask (not shown) is formed over the structureof FIG. 11J, and a patterning process is performed to pattern thedielectric film 360′ and the conductive film 370′. In FIG. 11K, thenanowire 330 m, the first electrode 370 m, the second electrode 410, thestorage layer 360 m, and the sidewall tunneling layer 350 are referredto as the memory cell 300M. The nanowire 330 w, the gate electrode 370a, the gate dielectric layer 360 a, and the interfacial layer 350 a arereferred to as the writing transistor 300W. The nanowire 330 r, the gateelectrode 370 a, the gate dielectric layer 360 a, and the interfaciallayer 350 a are referred to as the reading transistor 300R. Then, asecond ILD 405 is formed to surround the memory cell 300M, the writingtransistor 300W, and the reading transistor 300R. In some embodiments,the ILDs 405 and 380 may have the same or similar material.

In FIG. 11K, the thickness of the sidewall tunneling layer 350 is lessthan the thickness of the storage layer 360 m. The storage layer 360 mwraps around the sidewall tunneling layer 350, and the first electrode370 m wraps around the storage layer 360 m. Since the storage layer 360m and the first electrode 370 m are etched back together, the sidewalls362 and 372 of the storage layer 360 m and the first electrode 370 m maysubstantially aligned. The second electrode 410 is on and in contactwith the top tunneling layer 338 and spaced apart from the storage layer360 m. Further, the storage layer 360 m may be spaced apart from the toptunneling layer 338.

In operation S74 of method M50, a plurality of contacts and an IMD layer400 is formed over the first ILD 380 to interconnect the memory cell300M, the writing transistor 300W, and the reading transistor 300R, asshown in FIGS. 11L and 11M. Reference is made to FIG. 11L. A third ILD420 is formed over the base substrate 305. In some embodiments, the ILDs420 and 380 may have the same or similar material. Then, a plurality ofcontacts 435 a-435 i are formed in the second ILD 420. The contacts 435a-435 i may be made of tungsten, aluminum, copper, or other suitablematerials. The contact 435 a is in contact with one of the bottomsource/drain portion 332 a (See FIG. 11C) of the writing transistor300W, the contact 435 b is in contact with the top source/drain portion336 (See FIG. 11C) of the writing transistor 300W, the contact 435 c isin contact with the gate electrode 370 a of the writing transistor 300W,the contact 435 d is in contact with the bottom source/drain portion 332a (See FIG. 11C) of the reading transistor 300R, the contact 435 e is incontact with the top source/drain portion 336 (See FIG. 11C) of thereading transistor 300R, the contact 435 f is in contact with the gateelectrode 370 a of the reading transistor 300R, the contact 435 g is incontact with the third electrode 332 b (see FIG. 11C) of the memory cell300M, the contact 435 h is in contact with the second electrode 410 ofthe memory cell 300M, and the contact 435 i is in contact with the firstelectrode 370 m of the memory cell 300M.

Reference is made to FIG. 11M. Then, the IMD layer 400 is formed overthe ILDs 420 and 380 and the contacts 435 a-435 i to interconnect thewriting transistor 300W, the reading transistor 300R, and the memorycell 300M. Since the structure and formations of the IMD layer 400 issimilar to the IMD layer 180 in FIG. 2G, a detailed description is notrepeated hereinafter.

FIG. 12 is an equivalent circuit model of the memory cell 100M or 300Maccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 12, thememory cell has an effective conductance G_(S) of the semiconductorsubstrate (and the contacts), an effective conductance G_(HK) of thestorage layer, an effective conductance G_(sw) of the sidewall of thestorage layer, an effective conductance G_(OX) of the tunneling layer, acapacitance C_(HK) of the storage layer, and a capacitance C_(OX) of thetunneling layer. The conductance G_(HK) and G_(OX) represent the leakagepaths which are intrinsic in the corresponding layer/material. Theconductance G_(S) represents the series conductance originated from thesubstrate (and contacts). The conductance G_(sw) is used to simulate theleakage path due to the additional traps at the sidewall of the storagelayer. The simulation results show that the memory device with sidewalletched process possesses lower capacitance compared to a sample withoutthe sidewall etched process at the same frequency. Moreover, thesimulation results are fit with the experiment results.

Based on the above discussions, it can be seen that the presentdisclosure offers advantages. It is understood, however, that otherembodiments may offer additional advantages, and not all advantages arenecessarily disclosed herein, and that no particular advantages arerequired for all embodiments. One advantage is that the sidewall etchedprocess of the storage layer provide large current window whichincreases distinct states of the memory cells. Another advantage is thatthe storage layer with a sidewall near the second electrode providesgood retention. Yet another advantage is that the improved memory cellsdo not add area burden to the memory device.

According to some embodiments, a memory device includes a memory cell, awriting transistor, and a reading transistor. The memory cell includes asemiconductor substrate, a tunneling layer, a storage layer, a firstelectrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode. The tunnelinglayer is over the semiconductor substrate. The storage layer is on thetunneling layer. The first electrode is on the storage layer. The secondelectrode is on the tunneling layer. The storage layer has a sidewallfacing the second electrode. The third electrode is spaced apart fromthe second electrode. The writing transistor is electrically connectedto the first electrode of the memory cell. The reading transistor iselectrically connected to the second electrode of the memory cell.

According to some embodiments, a memory device includes a memory cell, awriting transistor, and a reading transistor. The memory cell includes ananowire, a top tunneling layer, a sidewall tunneling layer, a storagelayer, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The nanowire protrudesfrom a substrate. The top tunneling layer above the nanowire. Thesidewall tunneling layer is on a sidewall of the nanowire. The storagelayer wraps around the sidewall tunneling layer. The first electrodewraps around the sidewall tunneling layer. The second electrode is onthe nanowire and spaced apart from the storage layer. The writingtransistor is electrically connected to the first electrode of thememory cell. The reading transistor is electrically connected to thesecond electrode of the memory cell.

According to some embodiments, a method for manufacturing a memorydevice includes forming a writing transistor and a reading transistorover a substrate. A memory cell is formed over the substrate. Aninter-metal dielectric layer is formed over the writing transistor, thereading transistor, and the memory cell to interconnect the writingtransistor, the reading transistor, and the memory cell. The process offorming the memory cell includes forming a tunneling layer over thesubstrate. A blanket dielectric layer is formed over the tunneling layerand the substrate. The blanket dielectric layer is etched to form astorage layer on the tunneling layer. The first electrode is formed overthe tunneling layer. The second electrode is formed on the tunnelinglayer and adjacent the storage layer.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing a memory device,comprising: forming a writing transistor and a reading transistor over asubstrate; forming a memory cell over the substrate, comprising: forminga tunneling layer over the substrate; forming a blanket dielectric layerover the tunneling layer and the substrate; etching the blanketdielectric layer to form a storage layer on the tunneling layer; forminga first electrode over the tunneling layer; and forming a secondelectrode on the tunneling layer and adjacent the storage layer; andforming an inter-metal dielectric layer over the writing transistor, thereading transistor, and the memory cell to interconnect the writingtransistor, the reading transistor, and the memory cell.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein forming the memory cell further comprises: forming athird electrode on a bottom surface of the substrate.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein forming the memory cell further comprises: forming animplantation region in the substrate, under the tunneling layer, andspaced apart from the tunneling layer.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe storage layer has a dielectric constant higher than that of thetunneling layer.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the etching is dryetching.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the etching is wet etching.7. A method comprising: forming source/drain regions in a transistorregion of a substrate; forming a first interfacial layer over thetransistor region and between the source/drain regions and a secondinterfacial layer over a memory region of the substrate after formingthe source/drain regions; forming a gate dielectric layer over the firstinterfacial layer and a storage layer over the second interfacial layersuch that the storage layer exposes a portion of the second interfaciallayer; forming a gate electrode over the gate dielectric layer, a firstelectrode over the storage layer, and a second electrode over theportion of the second interfacial layer such that the storage layerlaterally surrounds the second electrode; and forming an inter-metaldielectric layer over the substrate to interconnect the source/drainregions, the gate electrode, the first electrode, and the secondelectrode.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the gate dielectriclayer and the storage layer comprises: forming an amorphous high-kmaterial over the first interfacial layer and the second interfaciallayer; and wet etching the amorphous high-k material to form the gatedielectric layer and the storage layer.
 9. The method of claim 7,wherein forming the gate dielectric layer and the storage layercomprises: forming an amorphous high-k material over the firstinterfacial layer and the second interfacial layer; and dry etching theamorphous high-k material to form the gate dielectric layer and thestorage layer.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the gatedielectric layer and the storage layer comprises: forming apolycrystalline high-k material over the first interfacial layer and thesecond interfacial layer; and wet etching the polycrystalline high-kmaterial to form the gate dielectric layer and the storage layer. 11.The method of claim 7, wherein the gate dielectric layer and the storagelayer are made of same materials.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein thegate electrode is formed after forming the source/drain regions.
 13. Themethod of claim 7, further comprising forming a third electrode on abackside of the substrate such that the storage layer is direct betweenthe first electrode and the third electrode.
 14. A method comprising:forming an isolation structure in a substrate to define a transistorregion and a memory region in the substrate; forming source/drainregions in the transistor region of the substrate; forming aninterfacial layer over the transistor region of the substrate andbetween the source/drain regions; forming a tunneling layer over thememory region of the substrate; subsequently forming a blanketdielectric layer and a blanket conductive layer over the interfaciallayer and the tunneling layer; patterning the blanket conductive layerto form a gate electrode over the interfacial layer and a firstelectrode over the tunneling layer; after patterning the blanketconductive layer, patterning the blanket dielectric layer to form a gatedielectric layer between the gate electrode and the interfacial layerand a storage layer between the first electrode and the tunneling layer;after patterning the blanket dielectric layer, forming a secondelectrode over the tunneling layer and surrounded by the firstelectrode; and forming an inter-metal dielectric layer over thesubstrate to interconnect the source/drain regions, the gate electrode,the first electrode, and the second electrode.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein patterning the blanket dielectric layer is such that thestorage layer exposes a portion of a bottom surface of the firstelectrode.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein patterning the blanketdielectric layer is such that a sidewall of the storage layer hasfacets.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the second electrodeis such that the facets of the storage layer face the second electrode.18. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming a third electrodeunder the memory region of the substrate.
 19. The method of claim 14,wherein the tunneling layer and the interfacial layer are made of samematerials.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein the storage layer is ahigh-K dielectric layer.